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Friday, February 1, 2013

More Changes

My last 2 posts have been about change. The first was a change I made for a customer which turned out well. The second was a change I refused to make.

Well, another post on change just sort of fell into my lap.

Last fall a customer purchased this bracelet from me at a show.

She asked that I make a necklace to match it. She liked the design of another necklace that I had displayed with 3 cabochons. So I based the new necklace on that.

This is what it looked like when I sent the finished picture to her for her approval.

Now this is why special orders are so hard. What you envision as perfect is sometimes not at all what the customer has in mind. It is understandable- but frustrating.

She thought about it for a couple of days, then emailed me back that there was a problem. She was tactful, but said that every time she looked at the picture, she saw a surprised face- with 2 eyes and an open mouth! This has happened to me with jewelry in the past- in fact- that may be a future blog post! People sometimes see something in a necklace that I never saw- then after they point it out- that's all I can see when I look at it!!

I told her it was OK if she wanted to cancel the order, I would be able to sell this necklace and it would be fine. She was very nice, and said that she still wanted the necklace, but could I make some sketches of some ways it could be altered, and was willing to pay me for the extra time spent.

Well, you don't want to see my sketches. Maybe I can bead- but sketch...not so much. And I really did not want to spend the time tearing apart the necklace when I was not sure that it would be what she wanted. So I came up with an idea. Photoshop!! I just made 1 extra small component and photographed it- then photoshop did the rest!!! What a time saver. I know these pictures are crude, but they were good enough to give her an idea of which one she preferred.

She picked the picture she liked and I altered the piece just one time.

So below is a picture of the finished piece. I must agree, I like it better than the way it was at first. And the face is gone. The customer said how much the mock ups helped. I will definitely use this technique again in the future!

She also sent me a picture of her wearing the finished piece. She loves it!

So,a happy ending!! Another example of improving upon a design by listening to a customer.

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About Me

I am a bead artist living and working in Western New York State. I have been beading for many years, but only discovered my real passion for bead embroidery about 6 years ago. Since then I have created many pieces from simple earrings to very elaborate collars.
I sell my work online through Etsy
http://www.bettystephanbeadwork.etsy.com
as well as exhibiting at Art Shows throughout the Eastern U.S.
you can follow me on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Betty-Stephan-Beadwork/134426161640
I have won several awards in national contests, including Fire Mountain Gems and Bead Dreams. I have been published in both Bead and Button Magazine and FMG catalogs.